Every Spring Festival, the event organizers work around the clock to ensure that the students have a good time, part of which involves bringing musicians to KAIST to perform. However, the significant sums of money needed to hire these musicians, not to mention the brevity of their performances, makes some of us question the wisdom of this tradition.

Due to some irresponsibility on my part, I was assigned a random roommate this semester. Having that awkward relationship where you know each other but not closely, our encounters were minimal with the courteous “Good morning”s and “goodbye”s. Then, it started one night with a short conversation about religion and why I identified myself as a Catholic Christian.

KAIST’s proud alumna and the first Korean astronaut, Soyeon Yi, held the event Yuri’s Night in the Creative Learning Building on April 14th. People from as far as Ulsan, Anyang and Seoul joined the occasion to celebrate the first manned spaceflight of Yuri Gagarin and enjoyed themselves.

A new student organization with the goal of improving health conditions of KAIST students was founded this semester. Named KAITAMIN, a compound word that mixes KAIST and vitamin, the organization aims to become an essential element at KAIST, just as vitamins are to the human body. Even before its inauguration ceremony, it launched programs like the morning jogging program.

Everyone here knows for a fact that studying at KAIST is not easy; the stress of academics often prevent students from being involved in many club activities let alone activities outside of school. Oftentimes the pressure is enough to eat away at one’s confidence in his abilities.

Howl Atthe Moon is a music bar located in Gung-dong. Unlike most bars located in and around Eoeun-dong, KAIST’s main drinking neighborhood, Howl Atthe Moon offers more than just an alcoholic getaway. The main concept of the bar is that you can request and enjoy music other than the usual K-pop played everywhere else.

From recent developments, it seems that steps are being taken in South Asia to slowly put an end to a long-standing rivalry. If you haven’t yet figured it out, the rivalry I speak of is none other than the one between India and Pakistan, two countries that have seen extreme bloodshed in the past.

The beautiful cherry blossoms that glorify our campus this time of year have officially marked the start of spring. April is the month when we KAIST students are filled with warmth and hope through strawberry parties, the Spring Festival and the wonderful weather. This year, however, this burst of spring can also be felt through something else: Busker Busker.

The recent rape and murder of a Korean woman by a Korean-Chinese (referred to as joseonjok in Korean) man in Suwon has elicited a variety of strong reactions. There was utter outrage at the laxity of law enforcement; the police had actually received a phone call from the victim right before she was killed, only to arrive hours later at the scene.

Su-yi Wong was elected as President of KISA this past December and has officially begun her one-year term this spring semester. The KAIST Herald met with Wong to discuss some of her perceived obstacles as well as her future plans for KISA.

One often notes how deeply cigarettes seem to be ingrained in KAIST’s very being: from the copious numbers of cigarette butts scattered around windows and balconies to complaints on ARA about smoking in dormitory rooms and bathrooms. These facts testify to something almost everyone here is aware of: the sheer number of smokers in the university population.

Last March, Red Cross Youth (RCY) KAIST was founded based on the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s philosophy. Since then, it has been active in informing KAIST students of volunteer activities. The KAIST Herald met with Heejae Jang, President of RCY KAIST, and Sangyoon Lee, Vice President, to hear more about the Red Cross philosophy and the activities they perform.

Brainstorming is a common practice for people working in groups. Letting ideas roam freely in one’s mind and expressing them without others’ criticism is thought to be a helpful method of eliciting original and innovative ideas. It is especially widely used in advertising offices, design firms and classrooms.

As most of the people who meet me would expect, I was born and raised in the West. However, I have spent the last seven years of my life in Asia, rarely going to countries that share similar cultural traces with my origins. My immersion into Eastern culture reached its peak when I caught myself thinking, “look, a foreigner!” the moment I spotted another Westerner.

“Taxi Together” is a smartphone application that allows KAIST students to car-pool or split taxi fares with others. Developed by three of our university’s students, the application’s iPhone version was launched last September with plans to launch the Android version as well this semester. The KAIST Herald met with one of the creators of Taxi Together to find out more.

Not many students, let alone members of the public, would expect a significant number of people from a scientifically oriented institution such as KAIST to have a serious interest in the social sciences.

The long-standing debate on students' rights to smoke on campus has risen to the fore again. Following a recent post on the ARA online forum that complained of smokers, those critical of smoking and its harmful effects have clashed with others who defend the students' rights to free choice. The KAIST Herald exmaines the two sides of the debate.

While Korea was getting ready to welcome the coming spring, another surprise guest arrived in the form of the “2012 Indian Film Festival.” The Indian Film Festival (IFF) is an annual event organized by the Embassy of India in Seoul with the help of CJ’s CGV and is supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India.

Dear Readers,What comes to mind when I ask you about bravery? More specifically, what about your own sense of bravery? Indeed, I dare myself to pose this one final question: do you have any said bravery to speak of?In asking these questions I do in fact intend to provoke you, dearest readers.

The latest changes to KAIST's undergraduate academic requirements see the Freshmen Design Course (FDC) become optional for future incoming freshmen. While those departments that believe in the FDC's importance may obligate their students to take the course, enrollment numbers are expected do drop significantly. The KAIST Herald discusses.